Todd Bramlet, 34, of Mason, and his 3-year-old son Ethan watch golfers approach the 18th green Wednesday during the Rocket Mortgage Classic Pro-Am tournament at the Detroit Golf Club.

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Kurt Nagl/Crain's Detroit Business

One-year-old Frank Fontaine celebrates a shot inside the Bridgestone tent at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit on Wednesday.

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There's plenty of Detroit-themed merchandise on sale in the Fan Zone at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club.

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Kurt Nagl/Crain's Detroit Business

Golf fans sought relief from the sun Wednesday under tents at the Detroit Golf Club during the Rocket Mortgage Pro-Am tournament.

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Kurt Nagl/Crain's Detroit Business

Kid Rock exits the 18th green at the Detroit Golf Club on Wednesday to a flock of fans begging for pictures and autographs after the Rocket Mortgage Classic Pro-Am tournament.

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Kurt Nagl/Crain's Detroit Business

Shinola/Detroit LLC is among the vendors selling merchandise Wednesday at a booth on the grounds of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club.

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Kurt Nagl/Crain's Detroit Business

The grounds of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club feature signs and artwork paying homage to the city.

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Kurt Nagl/Crain's Detroit Business

Around 40 union members gather Wednesday morning for a demonstration organized by Teamsters Local 299 outside the main road to the Detroit Golf Club, site of this week's Rocket Mortgage Classic tournament.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit will go on without the man who made it happen.

Dan Gilbert

Quicken Loans Inc. founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert will not be attending the tournament this week at the Detroit Golf Club, confirmed Bill Emerson, the company's vice chairman. Gilbert will be celebrating the first PGA Tour tournament in the city from afar while he recovers from the stroke he suffered last month.

"Dan will see what his hard work was able to produce, but it'll probably be via video," Emerson told Crain's on Wednesday following his round in the tournament's pro-am event. "He won't be here. He's working hard to recover. He's doing great and working hard to recover."

Quicken Loans inked a four-year deal to stage the tournament in Detroit, and it is the current focus of the company's significant sports marketing investments. Up to 30 percent or more of Quicken Loans' advertising budget — estimates for the company range from more than $300 million to $400 million in annual measured media spending — is earmarked for sports.

Emerson pointed out that the tournament benefits the Quicken Loans brand and the city.

"I think the fact that we brought this tournament to Detroit really helps the Quicken Loans brand, but it's not about the Quicken Loans brand, it's about the city of Detroit and what something like this means for the city," Emerson said. "We now have professional football, basketball, baseball, hockey and now golf in the city of Detroit, and I don't know of any other city that can say that."

Ritchie, a Macomb County native and member of the Detroit Golf Club, said the tournament is another benefit for a city working to rebound.

"It's really positive. We keep getting positives in Detroit," he said. "People in the city, enjoying the city, coming out and spending time here. Downtown is obviously doing well. I think it's the outlying areas that we need to focus on to get jobs and get paid good wages and things like that and get people to stay. All the people that I know, whether it's 20 years ago or now, that make money — they're out."

For now, northwest Detroit is enjoying national attention for the tournament that helped encourage beautification efforts around the neighborhood, including banners blocking dilapidated properties from sight along Seven Mile Road, newly-poured sidewalks and bike lanes and signs welcoming golfers and visitors. They were also greeted Wednesday by union protesters picketing for a wage increase for some Detroit Golf Club groundskeepers and mechanics.

Thousands flocked to the Detroit course to watch pro golfers play with local celebrities and prominent business leaders. Todd Bramlet, 34, of Mason, brought his 3-year-old son Ethan to see his favorite player, Rickie Fowler, and took advantage of free entry for kids.

"I love that it's back in the state of Michigan," he said. "We used to have to go to Ohio or Indiana to watch the pros."